Bald-faced Hornet Nests

Most of the leaves have fallen, but winter’s storms are yet to come. So now’s the time to see the remains of the paper nests built up by Bald-faced Hornets/Dolichovespula maculata this year. I’m always surprised by how many of them are in my very urban neighborhood, around Sunset Park, Green-Wood Cemetery, and even the streets in-between. Here are half a dozen I’ve spotted recently.

These nests are all abandoned in the fall as the wasps die off. Only mated gynes, queens-to-be, survive the winter. By spring, there won’t be much left of these nests, battered by time and the weather, if there’s anything at all.